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Are Films Becoming Game Patches?
(The Channel Awesome logo is shown, followed by NC title sequence) NC: Hello, I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don't have to. We see patches all the time in video games. (A montage of shots of the game ''No Man's Sky for the PS4 is shown)'' NC (vo): A big title is coming out with a lot of hype, and once it's released, it seems unfinished. Thankfully, though, a patch is sometimes released some time later to fix it all up. Sometimes, patches are released even if the game seems fine. (Cut to shots of the VR game ''Gorn)'' NC (vo): There's several VR games that I think are perfect the way they are, but suddenly, an update is added and the graphics are different or other major elements are altered. NC: While this could be the subject of its own video, I want to talk about how a very similar practice is starting to be done with movies. (Cut to shots of people in a movie theater, watching a movie) NC (vo): Now, anyone who knows cinema knows that movies are changed all the time, whether it's before a release, after a release, or sometimes, even years later. (Now cut to footage of ''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker)'' NC (vo): The past few years, though, as computer technology has not only advanced, but we've relied more on it, changes in film have become more unique. NC: (holds up two fingers) There's two examples that have happened recently that seem different than other changes we've had in the past. (Footage of the trailer for the upcoming ''Sonic the Hedgehog movie is shown, comparing the original and newer designs of Sonic)'' NC (vo): One is with the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. When the teaser came out, the backlash against it, particularly what Sonic looked like, was so strong, they pushed back the movie's release date to completely change his look, attempting to make him look more faithful to the game's design. NC: The other example is with Cats. (Footage of the recent movie version of ''Cats is shown)'' NC (vo): With so many people complaining about how freakishly eww-y it looked, a new version of the film was released, claiming to have made the CGI effects look better. At first, people thought this meant making them appear more like (A shot of the cast of the stage play version of ''Cats is superimposed)'' the original design, similar to Sonic. But it turns out it just meant taking some scenes that looked awkward and fake and touching them up a bit so they looked... NC: (uncomfortably) ...awkward and... (makes "finger quotes") "real". (A clip of the original ''Sonic trailer is shown)'' NC (vo): The fact that the makers think these changes will save these train wrecks is entertaining enough... (Cut to another clip of the original ''Cats trailer)'' NC (vo): ...but I'm more fascinated that we're in a time that these changes can be done at all. (Cut to a shot of a video game) NC (vo): The reason we're not shocked these kind of changes and patches can be done in games is because it's all coding and programming. Yes, it takes time, but it's all done in one realm: the computer. NC: Films like Cats and Sonic are a mix of live-action and computer. (More footage of ''Sonic is shown)'' NC (vo): And this is the first time we're seeing that main characters can be completely transformed even before the movie comes out. NC: So the question is, are more of these movie patches on the way? And if so, is it a good thing? NC (vo): While many have voiced appreciation for trying to improve a film based on existing properties, others...have concerns. NC: Cats, for example, has become one of the most celebrated bad films in recent years. (Footage of ''Cats is shown)'' NC (vo): There's so much talk of how the movie bombed hard at the box office, but if the reactions from people who have seen it are any indication of the future, it's gonna be just fine. I can see tons of people viewing this, trying to experience the madness the same way they watched The Room or Troll 2. Hell, maybe a kind of Rocky Horror Picture Show screening might be in the near future. I can totally see people watching it, laughing and shouting things at the screen. NC: But it looks like we may not be able to see it in its full, disjointed glory anymore. (More footage from ''Cats is shown)'' NC (vo): I saw this movie before the changes were made, and I can think of several moments where the effects were astoundingly uncomfortable; more than just the design, it was the texture and movement. In several scenes, it added to the fun of how mind-fucking it was. NC: But now, it looks like that version might be gone forever. NC (vo): Don't get me wrong, the film will continue to delightfully horrify based on its other maddening merits, but cleaning up the effects of Cats is like cleaning up the effects of... (Cut to an image of ''Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny is shown)'' NC (vo): ...Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny; the mistakes are part of why we love it. NC: The Sonic the Hedgehog movie got criticism from its own cast about the changes made. NC (vo): Jim Carrey said... (A quote from Jim Carrey is shown, along with an image of him, with NC reading the quote...) NC (vo): "I don't know quite how I feel about the audience being in on the creation of it while it's happening. Who knows what that's going to turn into? I believe in auteurs and I believe in creatives. As far as something like a Sonic character, that's something people have a sense of ownership from their childhood. So, of course, they're going to get involved if they can. We'll see if it's a good thing or a bad thing." (More footage from the original version of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog trailer is shown)'' NC (vo): Well, judging from the trailers, I don't see this as the best example of great auteurs or creatives. NC: I can't act like I don't know what he's talking about. (Footage of the updated version of the ''Sonic trailer is shown)'' NC (vo): The Sonic redesign looks great, more expressive and livelier than the original. But the change happened before we could see how the original would then be utilized in the film. NC: And let me emphasize... (An image of the original design for Sonic is shown in the corner) It's extremely unlikely that it would have worked. NC (vo): But to demand a change even before we can know for sure does seem a little odd. (An image of 1989 Batman is shown) NC (vo): Imagine if when Michael Keaton was cast as Batman, the filmmakers listened to the angry masses and somehow, changed the actor after the film was done shooting. NC: I mean, yeah, I know that's not possible now, but we're getting to a point where maybe it will be. (Another still from Batman is shown) NC (vo): If we listened to fans before the movie was released, we would have lost one of the best, if not the best, Batmans we've gotten in cinematic history. NC: Again, that's very unlikely that's what would have happened here, but kind of similar to Cats, I don't think that's gonna save much. If anything, I feel like it's gonna take away. (More footage from the Sonic trailer is shown) NC (vo): The film still looks like (poster of...) Hop crossed with the (poster of...) Woody Woodpecker movie, so I personally welcome all the bad you can squeeze into this to make it entertainingly awful, creepy human teeth and all. NC: But like I said, I haven't seen it yet, so I can't know for sure. Maybe it will make things better. (Images of George Lucas are shown) NC (vo): Someone who rarely makes his films better the more he alters them, though, is George Lucas. He might be one of the best examples of why not to change scenes after a movie is released. (Footage from the original ''Star Wars trilogy is shown)'' NC (vo): In the '90s, years after the Star Wars films were owned by many on video, he released his trilogy with all new effects on the big screen. Nowadays, this may seem like nothing, but the idea of going back and using modern technology to update a film in this way was kind of mind-blowing. NC: Nobody had seen something like that before, at least not on that big of a scale. NC (vo): Despite some of the changes being mind-boggling, even to this day, people were okay with this idea. NC: There was only one problem, though: these were going to be the only versions of Star Wars you could see from here on out. NC (vo): Lucas refused to release the original, unaltered cuts on DVD or Blu-Ray, acting as if they never existed. Had the original and updated versions been available, I don't think people would have had as many problems with the changes made. But, they're not; he's erasing film history for so many people that now aren't allowed to view what inspired so many filmmakers. These are changes, or patches, that seem to be backfiring. NC: Spielberg apparently had the same idea with E.T. (Side by side comparisons of scenes in that movie are shown) NC (vo): Replacing the timeless puppet effects with what I can only describe as the Illumination logo's CGI dick. He also edited out the FBI agents' guns because he thought that was too scary for kids. NC: (making an A-OK gesture) Got it. (Images of E.T's body and the FBI agents are shown) NC (vo): The cuddly corpse of your lifeless hero, fine, but bad guys with guns? NC: (gasps; sarcastically) No child should ever witness that! (As he says this, images from ''Gargoyles, the Looney Tunes short Rabbit Fire and G.I. Joe are shown of characters holding guns)'' NC (vo): Thankfully, Spielberg did the smart thing and released both versions so that people could choose. But other films aren't so lucky. (Footage from the live-action remake of ''The Lion King is shown before transitioning to the animated version, showing side-by-side comparisons of the VHS and DVD versions)'' NC (vo): Lion King...no, the one people like... has several differences on DVD and Blu-Ray, despite them advertising it's the theatrical cut. NC: Now these changes are minor, but still hot. (Footage of '' Snow White and Pinocchio are shown)'' NC (vo): If we went back to Snow White or Pinocchio and started changing things years later, wouldn't it be kind of like messing with history? Updating clarity is one thing, that's art restoration... (Cut back to the side-by-side comparisons of ''The Lion King)'' NC (vo): '...but this is art ''alteration. The version I saw on the big screen, I technically can't see again, as it was shown without these updated patches, at least not on DVD or Blu-Ray, at least not that I can find. I suppose I can still watch it on VHS, but it's practically an extinct way of watching movies now. '''NC: Now, with that said, some patches, especially from Disney, do make more sense than others. You'll see what I'm talking about. (With that, we go to a commercial break. Upon return, the footage of ''The Lion King resumes)'' NC (vo): I usually stand by there should be few to no changes when digitally updating movies, as they should be seen in the original context of when they came out. We're always changing, always evolving, so it makes sense to acknowledge that times change, and it can be for the better. NC: (looking hesitant) However, some changes made over the years are pretty easy to understand. (Another side-by-side comparison is shown, this one for another Disney movie: ''Fantasia. In this case, the comparisons show, on the left side, footage of the original 1940 movie in the Beethoven Pastorale segment, in which the infamous black centaurette, Sunflower, is tending to other centaurattes. On the right side is the edited version of the movie, which either shows closeups of said centaurettes or just edits out Sunflower completely)'' NC (vo): I never knew until years later that in Fantasia, there were black racial stereotypes serving the white centaurs. Holy shit, is that uncomfortable! (Cut to a clip of a introduction by Leonard Maltin on a Walt Disney Treasures DVD, where he talks about old Mickey Mouse cartoons that have racist depictions in them) NC (vo): Usually, Disney and Warner Bros. properties that have racist depictions from the past... (Cut to a clip of a similar introduction, this one by Whoopi Goldberg on a Looney Tunes DVD, where she likewise talks about racist depictions in these cartoons) NC (vo): ...had intros from film historians and celebrities explaining that they were a product of the time... (Cut to footage of a Mickey Mouse cartoon called ''Mickey's Mellerdrammer, in which Mickey and the gang are preparing to put on a stage play of Uncle Tom's Cabin, with Mickey donning blackface for his role as Uncle Tom and throwing his arms out to his mirror and saying, "Mammy!", a la Al Jolson)'' NC (vo): ...that they were wrong then and wrong now, but acting like it didn't is more damaging than rewriting it out of history. (Cut back to Leonard Maltin's intro on the Disney cartoons DVD) Maltin: Concerned parents might use this opportunity to talk about the way things were many years ago and just how far we've come since then. (Now cut to Whoopi Goldberg's intro on the Looney Tunes DVD) Goldberg: ...to accurately reflect a part of our history that cannot and should not be ignored. (Now we have more comparisons with the Beethoven Pastorale segment in ''Fantasia, once again with and without Sunflower)'' NC (vo): With that said, this cut of Fantasia is not in any DVD or Blu-Ray. (Cut to the opening credits for ''Aladdin)'' NC (vo): Nor is the original version of Aladdin, where "Arabian Nights" includes the lyric: "They cut off your ear if they don't like your face." Peddler: (singing) ...Where they cut off your ear / If they don't like your face / It's barbaric, but hey, it's home. NC: While I feel like these versions should exist somewhere for historical preservation... (grimaces) it is hard not to agree with these changes. Category:Content Category:Guides Category:The Nostalgia Critic Transcripts Category:Transcripts Category:Nostalgia Critic Category:Editorials